Data Science, Editorial, Machine Learning
Best Laptops for Machine Learning, Data Science, and Deep Learning
For the past year, we have looked at over 2,000 laptops [8] and picked what we consider to be the best laptops for machine learning, data science, and deep learning for every budget — future proof your AI rig!
Last updated January 8, 2021
Machine learners, deep learning practitioners, and data scientists are continually looking for the edge on their performance-oriented devices. That’s why we looked at over 2,000 laptops to bring you what we consider the best laptops for your projects on machine learning, deep learning, and data science.
We will continuously update this resource with powerful and more performant laptops for every budget as technology continues to evolve to bring you the best suggestions for your machine learning, data science, and deep learning projects and adventures.
Our mailbox is full of emails from AI enthusiasts asking us for the best laptops for AI projects. That’s why we decided to make this list. If you have any suggestions to add to the list, please let us know by emailing us at pub@towardsai.net.
Disclosure: Our editorial team at Towards AI writes authentic and trustworthy reviews and may receive a small compensation on products we select to support Towards AI’s efforts. For this article, as an Amazon Associate, Towards AI may receive a small commission from qualifying purchases made from it (at no extra cost to the buyer). For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at pub@towardsai.net.
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Let’s get started!
For Budgets under $ 1,000.00 ↓
Acer Nitro 5
Best laptop under $ 1k. Ideal for those who care about Intel processors, suitable RAM size, and RTX GPUs under a $ 1k budget.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i7–9750h [3] up to 4.5 GHz.
- Memory: 16 GB DDR4.
- Hard Drives: 256 GB NVMe SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.1, 1x USB 2.0.
- OS: Windows 10.
- Weight: 4.85 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ax, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Average ~ 4 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
Asus TUF
Great laptop for a budget under $ 1K but still want a powerful RTX GPU, and larger storage space.
Specs:
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7–4800H [4] up to 4.2 GHz.
- Memory: 8GB RAM DDR4 SDRAM.
- Hard Drives: 512 GB SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB 3.1, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2.
- OS: Windows 10.
- Weight: 5.07 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 60Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better ~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
For Budgets under $ 2,000.00 ↓
CUK GP65 Leopard by MSI
Best laptop for those looking for that extra storage space.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i7–10750H [3] up to 5GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM DDR4 SDRAM.
- Hard Drives: 1TB NVMe SSD, 2 TB HDD.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x Thunderbolt 3, 1x USB-A 3.2, 2x USB 2.0.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 5.14 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 144Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better ~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
Flagship Dell G5
Best for those looking for Max-Q [1] performance on their GPU, plust it has a Thunderbolt 3 port for workstation capabilities.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i7–10750H [3] up to 5GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM DDR4 SDRAM.
- Hard Drives: 1TB SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Max-Q [1].
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x Thunderbolt 3, 1x USB-A 3.2, 2x USB 2.0.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 5.18 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 144Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better ~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
Intel Whitebook
Best laptop under $ 2k. Best suitable for those who do not care about brands, care about the laptop’s weight, their budget, and workstation capabilities (backports), and it has a thunderbolt 3 port. Their design is incredibly similar (if not the same) to our Eluktronics recommendation. If you would like to go with a brand-name but with very similar specs, then check out this Eluktronics rig (their discounted special includes a gaming headset, gaming mouse, mousepad and a 10ft HDMI 2.0 cable).
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i7–9750H [2] up to 4.5 GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM SODIMM.
- Hard Drives: 2TB NVMe SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI, 1x Thunderbolt 3, 2x USB 3.1, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 4.2 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better ~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
For Budgets under $ 4,000.00 ↓
Lenovo Legion 7i
Best laptop for those looking for top performance on all ends.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i9 10980 HK [5] up to 5.30 GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM DDR4.
- Hard Drives: 1TB PCIe SSD, 512 GB PCIe SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q [1] 8GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI, 1x Thunderbolt 3, 1x USB-C, 2x USB 3.2.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 4.6 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 144Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
MSI GE66 DragonShield
Best laptop for those looking for top performance and workstation capabilities. We wish it had an RTX 2080 instead of the RTX 2070 though, so that’s something to consider before purchasing it.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i9 10980 HK [5] up to 5.30 GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM DDR4.
- Hard Drives: 2TB PCIe SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q [1] 8GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI, 1 mini Display Port 2, 2x USB-C, 2x USB 3.2.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 5.25lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 144Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better ~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
CUK WF75 by MSI
Best for those who are looking for top-of-the-line specs and still care about their budget. The RTX 2080 performs better than the Quadro RTX 3000, making it something to think about.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i7–10750H [2] up to 5 GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM DDR4.
- Hard Drives: 1TB NVMe SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 6GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [10]
- Ports: 1x HDMI, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.1.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 4.85 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better ~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
Eluktronics Max-17
Best laptop under $ 3k. The Eluktronics laptop design looks similar to the Intel Whitebook, but their GPUs and processors are more up-to-date and performant, and they also make a powerful workstation.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i7–10875H [6] up to 5.1 GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM DDR4.
- Hard Drives: 1TB NVMe SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super Max-Q 8GB [1].
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI, 1x Thunderbolt 3, 1USB 3.1 Gen 2, 2x USB 3.1.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 3.82 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 144Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
CUK Rog by ASUS
Best laptop for the price tag, it has the same processor as the Intel Whitebook, but if you care about a known brand, definitely go with the ASUS. We wish it had a thunderbolt 3 port though.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i7–10875H [6] up to 5.1 GHz.
- Memory: 64GB RAM DDR4.
- Hard Drives: 2TB NVMe SSD.
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB.
- Computing Power: 7.5 [9]
- Ports: 1x HDMI, 1USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C, 3x USB 3.2 Type-A.
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
- Weight: 5.3 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 144Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Better ~ 5 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
Best Laptop if you Prefer Macs ↓
Apple MacBook Pro
Best laptop if you prefer the Mac OS and don’t rely heavily on the GPU. Macbooks are very powerful workstations due to their Thunderbolt 3 ports, and their battery life is the best for dedicated GPU laptops. For computing power check out a detailed comparison between the RTX 2080 and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M.
Specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i9–10875H [6] up to 4.8 GHz.
- Memory: 16GB RAM DDR4.
- Hard Drives: 1TB NVMe SSD.
- GPU: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 4 GB.
- Ports: Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports.
- OS: Mac OS.
- Weight: 4.3 lbs.
- Display: 15.6, 1920 x 1080 144Hz.
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Gigabit LAN (Ethernet), Bluetooth.
- Battery life: Best ~ 7–11 hours.
Grab one on Amazon
Conclusion
We hope you find this list useful in your search for a performance-oriented laptop for your deep learning, machine learning, and data science projects. If you come across any phenomenal laptops, such as those mentioned in this list, please let us know by emailing us.
Thank you for reading!
References
[1] Max-Q Design, Nvidia, https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/gaming-laptops/max-q/
[2] Intel 10750H Q2 2020, Intel, https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/processors/core/i7-processors/i7-10750h.html
[3] Intel 9750H, Intel, https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/processors/core/i7-processors/i7-9750h.html
[4] AMD Ryzen 7 7800H, AMD, https://www.amd.com/en/products/apu/amd-ryzen-7-4800h
[5] Intel 10980 HK, Intel, https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/201838/intel-core-i9-10980hk-processor-16m-cache-up-to-5-30-ghz.html
[6] Intel 10875 HK. Intel, https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/202329/intel-core-i7-10875h-processor-16m-cache-up-to-5-10-ghz.html
[7] RTX 2080 vs. AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, User Benchmark, https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-RTX-2080-vs-AMD-Radeon-Pro-5500M/4026vsm960765
[8] RTX Performance Laptops, Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rtx+64gb+laptop&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
[9] NVidia CUDA Geforce GPUS, Nvidia, https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/gaming-laptops/
[10] Nvidia CUDA Quadro GPUS, Nvidia, https://www.nvidia.com/object/quadro-for-mobile-workstations.html
